Fly-tipping, litter & dog fouling

We spend around £650,000 each year cleaning streets and paths, which includes emptying bins and picking up litter. Compared to other districts, West Oxfordshire has low levels of litter and standards are higher than the national average.

Litter

We remove litter and fly-tipping from public land, including, streets, roadside verges and parks. We support groups carrying out litter picks in their own communities and have produced a litter information pack outlining ways we can help.

We will provide interested volunteer groups with:

Litter grabbers

Safety equipment such as gloves and hi visibility tabards

Refuse bags - including collection of any bagged up litter after the clean up event

Any necessary training

Advice and assistance is also available for issues such as graffiti removal, fly-tipping and other similar concerns.

Fly-tipping

Fly-tipping is when waste is dumped illegally on a site that has no licence to accept waste. Commonly fly-tipped items include larger domestic waste such as fridges and mattresses or commercial waste such as builders rubble and tyres, but the most common fly-tip is household rubbish simply left at the side of a road.

It is a problem because:

It could be a hazard to the public eg toxic waste, asbestos, syringes, used drugs

It might cause damage to watercourses, or to underlying soil quality

Fly-tipped material looks unsightly and can damage inward investment into an area

Cleaning up fly-tipping costs taxpayers in money and time

Fly-tipping undermines legitimate waste management activities

The law says:

Persons who transport waste on a commercial basis must hold a current Waste Carrier's Licence issued by the Environment Agency

Householders commit an offence if they pay a person without a Waste Carrier's Licence to remove their waste

Waste can only be deposited at officially authorised sites

Anyone fly-tipping waste is committing a serious offence and could face substantial fines or even a prison sentence

Where fly-tipping involves the use of a vehicle, the driver can be prosecuted, as can the vehicle owner

The Environment Agency has the power to seize vehicles used for fly-tipping under the Control of Pollution Amendment Act 1989

Fly-posting is the unlawful display of advertisements (usually for events or businesses) pasted, attached or painted on to buildings, street furniture or other structures (including trees and the surface of the road or pavement) without the consent of the owner or the necessary permission.

Dog fouling is when a person permits a dog in their charge to foul in a public place and fails to clean it away immediately after.

A public place means land to which the public has access within built up areas of the District, which includes roads, gutters, footpaths, verges, pedestrian areas, parks, school playing fields, sports grounds, and cemeteries etc.

Ideally, dogs should be trained from an early age to go at home in their own garden before or after a walk, rather than during.

If dog fouling does occur away from home it can be quickly and easily removed using any suitable plastic bag without your hands coming into contact with the faeces. Simply place your hand inside the bag, pick up the faeces, and then pull the bag down around your hand, effectively turning it inside out, and resulting in the waste now being contained within. Tie a knot in the bag and place it in a dog waste bin or take it home for disposal. If this is not possible, as a last resort double-wrap in two plastic bags and dispose of in a litter bin.

There are over 500 dog waste bins installed throughout the district

Aluminium dog fouling warning signs and self-adhesive stickers are also available

It is a problem because:

Dog faeces carry many germs that can cause illness and in extreme cases could result in blindness

It is both offensive to smell and to look at, and is extremely unpleasant to step in